by Kevin Manahan, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Manahan, USA TODAY Sports

He won't say what doctors, including surgeon James Andrews, have told Sanchez about treatment or surgery, either. (Neither will Sanchez.)

Heck, Ryan wouldn't even admit that putting Sanchez into a meaningless preseason game behind an offensive line of scrubs - and exposing him to injury - was a mistake.

And now there seems to be a difference of opinion on whether Sanchez actually had won the quarterback competition before he was hurt.

But Ryan did say this: Don't shovel dirt on Sanchez's career with the Jets just yet. The coach said Friday it's "realistic" that Sanchez could heal enough to play this season.

Or, well, stand on the sidelines, ready to play in case something happens to rookie starter Geno Smith.

"If we didn't think it'd be realistic that Mark would get on the field, then he would be put on IR, and that's not the case," Ryan said.

Sanchez could still end up on injured reserve, however. If the shoulder doesn't respond to treatment, or responds too slowly, the Jets could grow weary of waiting. And if treatment doesn't work and Sanchez eventually decides to have surgery, that would end his season and all but end his stormy stint with the Jets.

While Ryan and Sanchez seem to agree there's a chance Sanchez could play this season, they might have a disagreement on how the quarterback competition was going before Sanchez was hurt against the New York Giants in the third preseason game.

"What I'm really disappointed about is that I got hurt, because I won the competition," Sanchez said in an interview with NFL Network on Thursday. "There's no doubt. It was a done deal."

But Friday, Ryan said, "I never told him he won the competition. That's his opinion. It's not about a company line. Apparently, if that's what he said then that's his opinion. Again, there is that ongoing competition."